Red Light Therapy for Migraines: Scientific Evidence

Monthly migraine days dropped significantly more in the laser acupuncture group than in the sham group across all follow-up points in a 2024 randomized controlled trial. 60 adults with chronic migraine who had not responded well to medication were assigned equally to laser acupuncture (LA) or sham treatment, with the LA group receiving 810 nm light at 5000 mW/cm2 delivering 4.5 J across acupuncture points on the head for 8 sessions over 28 days. Researchers found that LA reduced both monthly migraine days and acute medication use days more than sham, with the benefit growing stronger over the 12-week follow-up period. No serious adverse events were observed in either group.

24 patients with migraine took part in a 2023 observational study comparing low-level intravascular laser irradiation of blood (ILIB) with traditional rehabilitation. 15 patients received ILIB at 632.8 nm delivered through arm veins for 60 minutes per session over 10 days, while 9 received traditional rehabilitation, and both groups were assessed for pain, cognition, and sleep before treatment, after treatment, and at 1-month follow-up. Pain scores, sleep quality, and cognitive function all improved significantly in the ILIB group, while the rehabilitation group showed no significant changes, and brain blood flow scans showed a 1.27-fold increase in circulation after ILIB treatment.

A 2018 randomized controlled trial compared low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with Botox injections as treatments for chronic migraine. The trial assigned 18 patients to each group, with the LLLT group receiving 808 nm light at a fluence of 120 J/cm2 over 30 days of treatment, and all participants kept pain diaries for 30 days before, during, and after the treatment period. Both treatments reduced headache days, pain intensity, and acute medication use, with no notable differences in effectiveness between the 2 groups, though anxiety improved more in the Botox group, while sleep disturbance improved more in the LLLT group.

Researchers in Italy evaluated infrared laser therapy and acupuncture (alongside a TENS arm) as non-drug treatments for transformed migraine in a 2003 randomized controlled trial. The trial enrolled 60 women aged 18 to 60 and assigned 20 each to the laser and acupuncture groups, with the laser group receiving a 27 mW, 904 nm infrared diode applied to tender scalp spots for 10 sessions over 10 days, followed by monthly monitoring over a 4-month drug-free period. The study reported that both infrared laser therapy and acupuncture reduced the number of headache days per month, though acupuncture showed the greatest sustained benefit across the follow-up period.